Before I Knew Your Name
by RachPOG
Summary: He had feelings for her that he couldn't explain. He knew nothing about her. Not even her name.
1. Chapter 1

**I do not own HSM or anything Troy and Gabriella.**

**Before I Knew Your Name**

It was her first day on set. Gabriella woke up early in order to allow herself plenty of time to primp. Meeting Troy Bolton was no little thing and she wanted to make an incredible first impression. It was 5:15am and she didn't have to be on set for a read-thru until 8am. She had plenty of time. She took her shower, did her make-up and fixed her hair to perfection…even she was impressed. She was having a hard time deciding what to wear. She wanted to look hot and sexy but being a production assistant, she was in for about a 14 hour day. She needed to be smart and wear something comfortable. She settled on a pair of her favorite jeans that hugged her ass just right and a navy blue v-neck cotton tee that showed off a small amount of cleavage; hopefully enough to make him want to see more. She added a medium length gold necklace for a little flair and finished it off with a pair of black Privos. They were a kind of urban looking sneakers but were so comfortable.

_Time check_. It was 6:50am. She had to leave at 7:15am in order to miss the traffic and get a decent parking place. She grabbed some toast, even though she didn't usually eat breakfast. She didn't know when her next opportunity would be to eat so she took advantage of the time while she had it. After breakfast, she grabbed her oversized bag and headed out the door. As she closed the door behind her, it hit her. She was going to meet Troy Bolton. She could feel her heart start pounding and it was almost as if the world was spinning around her like a tornado. She recalled the last movie she saw him in…she saw Hairspray 12 times in the theater. She couldn't get enough of him. After being mesmerized by his talent, she found herself daily checking the celebrity blogs looking for new information about him; He was just so intriguing. She was starting to feel weak in the knees as her thoughts overtook her when her cell phone rang.

"Hello…" Gabriella said as her hand shakily held the phone to her ear.

"Gabby? You there?"

Her heart slowed down and she regained her strength as she heard her best friend's voice on the other end of the phone. Sharpay had been Gabriella's best friend since the first grade. They had been through everything together. There were many occasions that Gabriella wondered how she would survive without her.

"Sharpay! I am so glad to hear your voice!" Gabriella said as she sat down on the step outside her house.

"Hey, are you on your way yet?" Sharpay asked her in a 12-year old voice.

"I'm about to get in the car. I am freaking out Shar! What am I supposed to say to him assuming I get the chance, which is a very strong possibility, oh my God?" She rambled as she rubbed her forehead and checked the time.

"Ness, here is my piece of advice: Make sure to……"

Just then, Gabriella's cell phone died. She had been so excited about the day she completely forgot to charge it, which is not good. She cursed herself for forgetting and got in the car. She could at least charge it a little on the way to the set.

Her drive there consisted of wondering what Sharpay was going to say. _Make sure not mention something?_ Or _Make sure to have a breath mint because your breath smells a lot._ Or _Make sure to tell him you give really good head? What was it_?

20 minutes later, she arrived. She parked her black Jeep in the assigned parking lot and climbed in to the van which would take her to the set. She fluffed her hair, grabbed a piece of gum, and checked her make-up before getting out of the van. She walked confidently in and was corralled to the room they were using for the read-thru. She was the first of the production assistants there. Glancing around the small, stuffy room, none of the cast members were there yet.

The next half hour whizzed by meeting new people until she finally met the 2nd Assistant Director. Brad was her "boss." He was the one she reported directly to and he seemed really cool.

"So, Gabriella, we have a small problem." Brad pulled her over to the corner of the room and sat her down.

_This was it, _she thought. _I'm going to get fired before I even meet him. Oh God._

"Ok, what's the problem?" Gabriella asked trying to act like she wasn't freaking out inside!

"One of our assistants, Becca, backed out this morning and now we are short one." Brad said as he fumbled through some papers.

"So, what does this have to do with me? I am already an assistant." She said, really not understanding what it was Brad was trying to tell her.

"I want you to take her place. Would you be willing to consider this?" He asked her with a slight plead in his voice.

"Sure, I guess…but if we are both assistants then what's the difference in what I'm doing and what she was supposed to do??" Gabriella was really confused. She was being offered to take another girls place that was hired to do the exact same thing as her.

"Oh, I'm sorry Gabriella. Becca was not a production assistant. She was hired to be Mr. Bolton's personal assistant."

_Whoa, whoa, whoa! She was being offered to follow Troy Bolton around for 40 days and do whatever he asks her to do? And she would be getting paid for this so it wasn't like stalking. WHAT??_

Gabriella could tell that Brad was still talking. He seemed to be mumbling about why Becca quit but Gabriella could care less about that. She had to figure out how the hell she was supposed to handle something like this. She had so many emotions running through her that she didn't know which one she should portray on the outside. She really couldn't believe this was happening and was, honestly, more terrified than excited. She realized Brad had stopped talking and was looking at her like he was waiting for an answer. She had to say something quick….

"Can I think about it for a few minutes?"

_What was she saying? Of course she would do it, but she wanted to seem professional. _

"No problem. Just let me know after the read-thru. I gotta go check on some things but I'll see you in there." Brad disappeared into a hallway of people and Gabriella sat staring at the floor.

She realized she was going to have to convince herself that the 'Mr. Bolton' she was about to work for and the 'Troy Bolton' she Googled every day were two different people. That was the only way she could do this and keep her job. As she stood up and headed back to find her seat, she felt someone's shoulder brush past her. Well, she thought it was just a brush until she realized she was lying on her back in the middle of the floor with, what seemed to be a script, flying into the air and landing all over the room. Everything was almost happening in slow motion as she felt a strong force land on top of her. She heard a loud crack as she realized what had happened.

"Oh shit! I'm so sorry! Are you okay?"

Gabriella slowly opened her eyes.

_**There he was.**_

Her eyes melted into his beautiful blue pools and she found herself finding it hard to catch her breath.

"Are you okay?" Troy asked with a concerned look on his face.

She really was finding it hard to breathe as he starred at her. Then she realized that her right side was throbbing.

"Yea." she managed to get out. Troy scooted off of her and held out his hand to help her up. As Gabriella reached out, she winced at the growing pain in her side and slowly rose to her feet.

"Seriously, are you ok? I fell pretty hard of top of you." Troy said as he bent down to get a good look at her face.

"Yea. Really, I think I'm ok." She said as she tried to act normal. She was partly scattered because it was _him_, and partly because her side was getting worse.

"Ok, well, I'm really sorry about that. I guess I'll see you around." Troy extended his hand to shake hers.

As Gabriella's hand reached out to meet his, her side sent shooting pains through her entire body. She tried to hold it together but the weight of the pain was too much and she began to sink the floor. Troy reached out and caught her petite body in his arms, slowly lowering her to the floor. As the set nurse arrived, Troy backed away to give her plenty of room. He watched Gabriella lying there and, though he knew she would be okay, he longed to be holding her in his arms again. But how could that be? He didn't even know her name…

**I hope you enjoyed the first chapter! This is my first story and I am ready for your reviews! Suggestions welcome! Look for chapter 2 soon!**


	2. Chapter 2

**I do not own HSM or anything Troy and Gabriella.**

**This story is rated M so kidos, beware….**

**Thanks for all the reviews! I so enjoy reading what you have to say so please keep them coming!**

Gabriella loved the touch of his skin on hers. She loved how he tried to be so soft and gentle with her. But, because of the heat between them, he could only control himself for so long until he would end up handling her in a way that could only be described as forceful, even though she knew he didn't intend to.

He ran the tips of his fingers along her side and kissed her navel, which sent butterflies shooting from her stomach. His hands were firm as they latched on to her breasts. Her nipples hard as he sucked the tip just enough to make them wet and cold. A single breath from his lips onto her pink nipples was all the foreplay she could take. She wanted him inside her, now.

She forced him on his back and straddled his waist, prepared to be in control of every move. He slipped his penis all the way inside her with such force it sent her upper body crashing onto his chest, with her face buried in his neck. Forgetting the girth of this sex god, Gabriella surrendered her position on top. Troy positioned himself over her with her feet pointed at the ceiling and her folds calling out for him. He grabbed onto her thighs and inched his throbbing member towards her opening. He slipped the tip in just enough for her to beg him for more and….

_**BEEP! BEEP! BEEP! BEEP!**_

Gabriella slowly opened her eyes, not wanting her dream to end. She reached out her sleepy arm and hit her alarm clock until it finally shut off.

It had been two days since her run in with Troy. Literally. She remembered him being so caring at that moment. But he was obviously avoiding her. She tried to catch him after lunch yesterday but he ducked out the door after making eye contact with her. She didn't know why he would be the one to avoid her. Shouldn't she be avoiding him? I mean, she was the one who humiliated herself in front of everyone, including Troy Bolton.

After getting herself worked up about the situation all over again, she got up and began her morning routine. As she felt the warm water run over her face, she made the decision that today she would end this childish game and confront her humiliation right in the face.

Troy was relaxing in his trailer with his morning cup of coffee. He had this ritual. Every morning before he would film a scene, he would go for a mile run, shower and run lines while enjoying his coffee. And lastly, he would play a game of guitar hero on the Wii. This calmed him before getting in front of the camera and assured himself that he would not over think his scenes. He had a tendency to do just that. Over think. Like the beautiful woman who fell into his arms two days ago and he had yet to even speak to her. The reason being, he has thought of every possible reason not to. But he wanted to, so desperately. He wanted to know her name and her hobbies and what position she liked in bed. _Damn. _

One of his costars attempted to reveal the name of this beauty but Troy refused. He figured that would make this more complicated. It was better if he never knew what he was missing.

Troy finished running his last scene and headed to grab his costar, Chad Danforth for a little Wii action.

"Alright you bastard. It's on from yesterday's game. I can't believe you beat me!" Troy said punching his best friend in the arm.

"Hey, you were the one who kept spacing out on me through the entire game." Chad said with a certain Danforth smirk.

Troy ignored his comment, knowing very well his intentions. The two battled it out for 45 minutes over the title of 'Wii Master'. Finally, Troy emerged as the winner.

"Thank you, Chad. I needed to kick your ass today." Troy said in his usual sarcastic tone.

"Whatever keeps your mind off of her, dude." Chad threw back at Troy.

Although Troy pretended not to care, he knew Chad was right. That was exactly what he was doing. He couldn't go there. He couldn't let himself yearn for her. He had done that once before for a girl in high school and she broke his heart. He didn't dare go that road again. Especially since what he felt for the girl with no name was stronger than anything he'd ever felt before.

"Come on, Chad. We've got a scene to shoot."

Troy and Chad exited the trailer and headed for the location of the day.

Gabriella entered the hotel in her cotton Ralph Lauren dress and a pair of black flip flops. She loved this dress, mainly because of the color. It was a deep purple, which brought out her eyes and dark hair. She knew they were filming in a hotel today so she felt safe that her errand running would be kept to a minimum.

As she made her way through the lobby, she was quickly informed that she was needed on set immediately. Since her accident a couple of days ago, her boss was unsure if she would be able to return to work so soon. Because of this, he decided to bring in a new assistant for Troy. Gabriella was encouraged to take a day off and rest, however, if she wanted to retain her position as a production assistant on this film, she must return the following day. Gabriella was somewhat relieved that she didn't have to face Troy so soon and was very eager to earn respect in this industry. Even if it wasn't as 'Troy Bolton's Personal Assistant'. She never understood the pull to be a celebrity. She wanted to be in film-making, not money-making. She loved the rush of backstage and behind the cameras. She never had any desire to be in front of the camera or on stage. Although she enjoyed checking out all the celebrity gossip, she believed that they got everything they asked for. _Celebrities probably pay paparazzi to come follow them around._ In conclusion, she thought they were all stuck-up rich people with enough acting skills to pretend they didn't know the paparazzi were following them…but they _were_ nice to look at... and some of them seemed a little bit genuine at times…like Troy.

As she arrived in room 14 of the F'oren Hotel, things were buzzing away. Brad found her immediately and requested that she continue to dress the bed for the scene. He pointed to a small green tub that contained sheets, pillow cases and a comforter for the queen size bed. She tucked her purse away in a corner and got right to work. She wanted Brad to know she could hold her own after the accident.

About the time she was securing the corners of the fitted sheet, Troy walked into the hotel room. He was looking good in his gray suit with every part of the fabric clinging to all the right places. Gabriella was so busy trying to impress her boss that she did not notice him. But he noticed her.

Troy stopped dead in his tracks to admire this view. Here was the woman whom he could not get out of his head, bending over, on a bed, in a dress and a thong. The irony of it was too much for Troy and he let out a little chuckle. Chad noticed and turned to catch Troy lusting after his nameless love.

About this time, Troy noticed Gabriella adjusting herself, obviously realizing she was flashing anyone who was looking. Gabriella began to glance around the room to see who had witnessed her peep show and stopped when she reached those dazzling blue eyes. Troy couldn't help but smile a little. He was turned on and wondered if she had done that little show just for him.

Troy watched her face as it turned to shear panic. Her big brown eyes quickly filled with tears and all Gabriella knew was that she had to get out of there.

She ran from the hotel room down the hall to a private corner. She whipped out her cell phone and called the only person that could make this better.

"Hey Gabby! How's it going?" Sharpay asked in a sincere voice.

"I hate Troy Bolton!" Gabriella snapped back.

"What happened? Gabby, are you crying? What did that jerk do to you?" Her best friend asked.

"Shar, he has done nothing but humiliate me!" Gabriella said as she turned with her face to the corner and tears streaming down her pink cheeks.

"So, he is still ignoring you, huh?" Sharpay replied, knowing very well he was.

"Oh no. He was not ignoring me a few minutes ago. All of his attention was on me and my ass!" Gabriella's sobs were becoming less mad and more genuinely embarrassed.

After a few seconds of her regaining her composure, Gabriella spoke again.

"What am I going to do?"

"Gabby, we both know you don't hate him. If anything, you are mad because you didn't get to see _his_ ass!"Sharpay joked.

Gabriella laughed and was relieved to be returning to her normal self.

"Thanks Shar. I needed that. I'll call you later tonight."

Gabriella bid her best friend goodnight and was ready to face this man and show him what he's missing.

As Gabriella turned around to head back to the set, she gasped as Troy made his way down the long hallway….which dead-ended into her.

**Hope you guys enjoyed it! Review Review Review!! Chapter 3 is in the works already and I can't wait for you to read it!!**


	3. Chapter 3

**I do not own HSM or anything T & G related….**

**Thanks so much for your reviews! I've had so many different directions as to where to take the story! Thanks to Rach for helping me sort through all the choices! Hope you enjoy where I decided to take it…..**

* * *

Gabriella watched his hips as they strutted towards her. His gray suit jacket was flipping with every step and hitting his tight abs making her salivate for him. Then, he did the unthinkable. The bang flip. She knew that bang flip and it made her heart sink into her stomach. She couldn't help but wonder what he was thinking at that exact moment…

* * *

_Ok, Troy. You can do this. You can talk to the girl with no name and show her the man you really are. Forget that she is the most beautiful woman you've ever seen. Forget how she looked on that bed in her thong…I've been with women before!? What is so different about this one? Damn, these bangs are driving me crazy! I've got to get a haircut. Oh my god…look at her. I can't do this. I can't talk to her. How do I get out of this?_

He closed in the gap between them, which made Gabriella's breath stop in her chest.

"Excuse me." Troy said in a very nonchalant tone.

"Yes?" Gabriella replied. She was ready for whatever he had to say to her. Or do to her. She flipped her shiny curls over her shoulder and waited for Troy to tell her exactly how he felt about her.

"The director is looking for you." Troy blurted out. He wasn't sure until that moment what he was going to say to her. It just kind of came out. He knew he was not ready to face quick, onset emotions like these. He chose to bail.

"Oh, ok." Gabriella said questioningly. She wanted to stay there and stare at him, even if he had just shamed her pride a little, but she did not want to lose her job. She slid past Troy and jogged back to the set completely devastated by this turn of events.

Troy watched from behind as she disappeared around the corner. He laid his face in his hands while realizing the idiotic move he just pulled.

"Yo Troy! Let's go!" Chad suddenly shouted.

_I wonder what her name is._

* * *

Gabriella had spent the majority of the day at the production office. They were a little short staffed and Brad had asked her to work over there for the day. They were shooting a night scene this evening at a nearby park. She was supposed to be there at 7pm to help during actually filming since the rest of the crew had set it up that afternoon. She had time to run home, freshen up, grab a bite to eat and drive the 20 minutes to the park. Troy was in the scene tonight. She had been around him before and after shooting a scene but had yet to actually watch him during the scene. She was looking forward to this.

She arrived at the park to find 30 or so people swarming around trying to finish up last minute details. She headed over to Brad to see what he needed her to do.

"Hey Gabby. Do you mind if I call you that?" Brad asked.

"No" Gabriella insisted. "Everybody calls me that!"

"Ok good. I am going to need you to operate the boom mic for this scene. Is that ok?" Brad asked as he squinted at Gabriella and waited for her answer.

"Oh, sure. That's fine! Whatever you need me to do." Gabriella said. She had been a boom mic operator on the last film she worked on. It was fairly simple and she enjoyed it.

Brad was relieved and responded back. "Ok great. By the way, you look great in that dress. I meant to tell you earlier."

_What did he just say?_

Gabriella was very taken back by his comment. Not only because he was her boss but because he was 45 years old. She didn't exactly know how to handle this. She had been hit on before by guys her own age, although not very often. But a man twice her age?

"Thanks Brad. I'm going to go get set-up." Gabriella hustled away, making certain that her dress was pulled down as far as it would go. She put his odd comment out of her head and began to assemble all the necessary equipment for her to actively participate in the scene.

Troy and Chad arrived right on time. It was 7pm and they were ready to start shooting. Except for one problem. The lead actress wasn't there.

This scene was taking place after the main character has professed his love for his best friend. At this point, he is supposed to jump up on the edge of the fountain in the center of the park shouting "I love her! I love her!". Then they share a very passionate kiss with her ending the scene saying "I love you, too." When Gabriella had read this page of the script, it didn't sound all that exciting or romantic. Now that she was there, she saw the whole thing in a different way. It was night. The fountain was running as it formed beautiful ripples all the way around. They had twinkle lights every place you looked. Around the fountain, in the fountain, along the grass…everywhere. They had a string quartet in the background playing Gershwin music as if a fantastic party had just ended. The best part was Troy. He was dressed in a black suit with a white collared shirt. Around his neck hung his blue tie with the top couple of buttons undone…as if he had gotten hot and needed to cool off. She noticed a lady coming over to fix his collar, which made her realize that was the way he was supposed to dress for the scene. It was hot.

She realized she had been starring at him for several seconds. She regained her focus and got back to work. About 10 minutes later, while Gabriella was waiting to get into place, she was approached by the Director.

"It's Gabriella right?" James asked.

Gabriella nodded.

"Hey, I'm James the Director and I was wondering if you could do me a favor." James led Gabriella over to the fountain and sat her down.

"Gabriella, I'm in a tough spot. We need to get this scene started but, as you know, our lead actress is not here." James continued.

"Oh, do you want me to go get her?" Gabriella jumped up at the chance to do something for the Director.

"No, she is on her way. But we need to make sure the lighting is right so we don't have to waste time when she gets here with that. Does that make sense?" James questioned.

"Not really…I don't know anything about lighting." Gabriella hated having to say that but it was true.

James smiled a bit. "Actually, could you please stand-in for her while we light the scene?"

Using every ounce of restraint she possessed, Gabriella calmly replied to him.

"What do I have to do? Just stand there?" Gabriella said in a smart-ass kind of way.

"All I need you to do is stand in front of the camera and Troy will run the scene. You can just follow his lead. It's no big deal." James lied.

"Ok. Sounds fun!" Gabriella decided to not think about this like she had everything else the past couple of days. She stood up and waited as James explained what was going on. They were basically running a rehearsal using Gabriella as a stand-in. When Troy noticed James motioning for him to join them, he quickly shuffled over.

"Troy. She is going to be the stand-in while we light the scene. Just run your lines and all the blocking and she will follow your lead." James announced in a very professional manner.

Troy knew that James had no idea what he had just done. Before he could over think anything, he heard it….

"And…Action!" James yelled.

All Troy knew to do at this point was run the scene. He took a few seconds just taking in her beauty and preparing for what was about to happen.

Gabriella's heart was pounding so hard that she wondered if he could hear it. She was in shock of the whole situation and did not have a clue what she supposed to do. She just waited and trusted that Troy would lead her where she needed to go.

Suddenly, Troy bolted onto the fountain and began screaming "I love her! I love her!"

Gabriella watched and wondered what it would feel like to have him say that to her and mean it. Before she could finish her thought, she found herself being lead by the hand to face Troy. He passionately cupped her face in his hands and, with one deep breath, kissed her with every ounce of energy he had. Gabriella swore she heard fireworks exploding over them as his tongue pierced through sending lighting bolts through the pits of her body. Troy slowly inched his lips barely apart from hers. He leaned down to her ear and whispered to her.

"Say, I love you, too."

Before this point, Gabriella had completely forgotten about the 30 or so people watching this moment between them. As soon as she realized what Troy had said, she was snapped back into reality. She hadn't noticed that a solitary tear was making its way down her cheek….that is until Troy reached up with his gentle touch and wiped it away.

"I love you, too." Gabriella was surprised she had actually been able to speak.

They continued to stare at each other. They both knew it was because they didn't want the moment to end, but they could blame it on the fact that James hadn't yelled 'cut.'

"And...Cut!" James insisted. "That was excellent you two. We are going to get the cameras re-set for the actual filming. Troy, it'll be about 10 minutes."

"Thanks James," Troy called out to him as the make-up crew was on their way over to fix Troy's face.

He spun around to see that she was gone. Whatever her name was, she had disappeared. He glanced around the park but there was no sign of her anywhere. He wanted to see her and feel her. He wanted her lips to be on his. And, for some reason, out of nowhere, he wanted to protect her. He had felt that yesterday but didn't admit to himself his feelings were that strong. Now, he wanted to tell the whole world.

* * *

As he finished filming his scene, with an actress he had absolutely no on or off screen chemistry with, he retreated back to his trailer with a heavy heart. He pulled open the door, knowing he needed to get some sleep since it was almost 3am. But all he wanted to do was go find _her._ He needed to find her. He entered his trailer, deciding that she would be on set trying to prepare for the next days events. He reached out to flip on the lights when he heard a voice.

"Don't. Leave them off."

* * *

**Left you hangin'!! Do you know who it is?? **


	4. Chapter 4

**First, I do not own HSM or anything T & G related….**

**Second, for those of you who reviewed, THANK YOU!**

**For those of you who read, but didn't review…..shame….**

**Please do me a favor and, even if you have never reviewed anything before, REVIEW!! I want to know what you guys think. I need to know if you are enjoying it or not so much. So, thanks in advance for all the thousands of reviews that I'm sure you will provide)**

**On to Chapter 4…..**

* * *

Troy spun around as he heard a familiar voice.

"Who's there?" Troy asked as he squinted to try and make out the silhouette standing about 6 feet away from him.

"It's Nikki." She said as she inched her way closer to him.

Troy rolled his eyes as his cursed under his breath. Nikki was the last person he wanted to see right now. He could deal with her drama on-set, seeing as she was the lead actress, but he did not have to deal with her off-set. He wanted to find the girl with no name.

"Nikki, what are you doing in here?" He asked.

"I'm waiting for you, silly." She said as she ran her hand up and down his firm stomach.

Troy caught her hand and removed it from his body. He had absolutely no interest in her; however, he did not want the remainder of the film to be awkward because he had blown her off.

"Nikki, it's really late and I have _got_ to get some sleep. So, I'll just see you tomorrow?" Troy said as he moved past her to the bed. He slipped off his shoes and began unbuttoning his shirt as he realized that she was just standing there watching him undress.

"Look, I'm serious. I'm going to be no good tomorrow if I don't sleep." Troy insisted.

Nikki heard him speaking, but was not listening to him. She walked over to Troy and joined him on the bed.

"I'm sorry…I just can't help it. I thought we had some real chemistry today and I thought you felt it too." Nikki stated as she began to rub Troy's shoulders.

It stayed quiet for a few seconds as Troy tried to figure out how to get out of this without causing any problems, professionally. As he turned around to straighten things out with her, her lips met his in a fast, wet kiss. She sucked on his bottom lip so hard that he could actually feel it swelling up with each second. After realizing that he could stop this, he jumped up, forcing their lips to part.

"What the hell was that?!" Troy demanded.

"I want you Troy. Don't you know that I've wanted you from the second I met you…" She said as she made her way back to Troy.

"Nikki, please leave." Troy said as he looked away from her.

"Come on Troy. Haven't you ever wanted to be the bad boy and do something that you know is wrong…" She said as she pulled his arms up around her waist.

"No, I don't. Please leave." Troy dropped his arms from her and turned around to open the door and escort her out.

"Troy…come on, baby…you know you want me…"

"Leave!" Troy shouted. He was rather surprised that he had let himself yell at her, but he felt like that was the only way to make her leave.

* * *

Gabriella had found a bench in the park that was away from everyone, where she could just sit and think about her scene with Troy. She really wanted to see him again. She knew it was odd and rather fast that her heart was opening up to him and she wondered if their connection was one-sided. Meaning, her-side. The only thing she knew to do was ask him.

_What's the worst that can happen? _

Although she was terrified, she made her way back to the lot where his trailer was. She walked around the back in case she decided to chicken out. At least then no one would have seen her lurking around in the middle of the night.

As she came around the back of Chad's trailer, she stopped as she saw Nikki leaving from Troy's. Her heart sank. Her stomach flipped and her eyes were overwhelmed by tears.

"Damnit!" That's all she could think of to say. She was mortified that she hadn't realized who Troy really was. She really believed that he was different. That he wasn't a whore of an actor who would fuck any actress that came his way. That he cared about people and genuinely wanted to do the right thing. Apparently, she was wrong.

All Gabriella wanted to do was get away from there as fast as possible. She ran back to her car and sped away heading for home.

Troy had fooled her. She hated him for that.

* * *

The next day on set was not one that anyone could have seen coming. It was 9:25am and Nikki wasn't on set. She was called at 7:00am in order to give her plenty of time to get through hair and make-up. She never showed and no one could get a hold of her. Troy was waiting outside sipping on a cool bottle of water. Gabriella came bursting through the door, which exited right to where he was sitting. Troy was shocked that she was suddenly standing right in from of him. He didn't know what to do or say. He could hardly catch his breath as he starred at her.

Gabriella was disgusted. She looked at his eyes, hoping that he could take back what she had seen the night before. Knowing she would never forget that image, she walked away without a word.

"Hey!" Troy called out to her as she dashed away. She did not stop.

"Wait!" Troy shouted. He jogged over to catch up with her.

"Did you need something Mr. Bolton?" Gabriella questioned in a very professional manner.

"Actually, yes. What's you name?" Troy was overly excited to hear the sound of her name ringing in his ears.

"Listen, Mr. Bolton, I'm running late and really don't have time for this." She turned to dart away.

Troy grabbed her by the wrist which made her stop instantly and look down their hands so close together.

"I'm sorry, have I done something to offend you or something? Everything seemed to be fine, even great, yesterday. What happened?" Troy questioned as he slid his hands in his pockets.

"Nothing. I don't know what you're talking about. I'm just doing my job." Gabriella said, very matter of fact.

"Please tell me if I've done something," Troy insisted. He wanted to understand her. He wanted to know her. Hell, he wanted her name!

"You just aren't who I thought you were, that's all."

Troy furrowed his brow as he tried to figure out what the hell she was talking about.

Gabriella could tell he was confused. She took a deep breath and out came the truth.

"I saw Nikki leaving your trailer last night. I know I shouldn't have been there and it's really none of my business, but…" Gabriella paused as she realized what she was saying to Troy Bolton.

"But what?" Troy asked as he leaned in closer to her, longing to feel her lips on his.

"But, I just never thought you would stoop so low as to fuck Nikki! I mean, of all people! She's such a bitch, everyone knows that and you deserve so much better than her…."

Gabriella was cut off mid-sentence by his lips. She gasped as she felt the intensity of his kiss. She moved her hands into his soft hair and pulled him in so that he was forced to wrap his arms around her body. His tongue brushed against hers as her stomach flipped circles. After several minutes of a heated kiss, Troy pulled away from her as he continued to hold her in his arms.

"I didn't sleep with Nikki." Troy felt awful about the misunderstanding. "She came to my trailer to try and seduce me, but I told her to leave."

Gabriella giggled at her own mistake and looked up to meet his beautiful blue eyes, as if to say I'm sorry in that one look.

"What's your name?" He asked in a simple voice.

Knowing her boss would be looking for her soon, she quickly answered,

"Gabriella"

She flashed him a beautiful smile, pecked him on the lips and rushed back towards the set. She glanced back for one last look at him before she disappeared into the building.

Troy was in awe of the girl with no name, although, she had a name now.

_Gabriella. _

* * *

As Gabriella entered the set, she was met by James, the director.

"Hey James…what's up?" She asked, knowing he must need her to do something for him.

"I have a proposition for you. Can we talk?" James asked.

"Sure." Gabriella answered, a bit frightened of what he might suggest.

James and Gabriella headed outside in order to ensure some privacy.

"Gabby, Nikki quit." James blurted out.

"What? She quit?" Gabriella said as she thought about Troy and her together again. She was surprised, but she could not say that she wasn't happy about it.

"Yea, we just got a call from her agent and she quit, for unknown reasons…whatever that means. Listen, we are working on getting her replaced but we can't stop filming or else we lose everything!" James was talking very quickly.

"Ok, what can I do to help you?" She asked. Gabriella really liked James and had a lot of respect for him.

"Can you be her stand-in until we get a replacement? You know, just stand in the scenes and read her lines…like you did yesterday?" James asked as he pleaded with his eyes.

"Yea, I'll do it." She answered.

"Oh, thank you so much! Well, grab your script and let's go! We've got a scene to shoot!" He said as he patted her on the shoulder and ran off to inform his crew of the change.

Gabriella ran over to grab her script and began flipping to the days' scene. She was really excited about doing this. She actually enjoyed being in front of the camera, especially with Troy. Realizing that she was going to be on camera, she decided to go freshen up. She headed towards the honey wagon, or the bathroom. On set, they had a long trailer, which holds several, individual bathrooms and it is called the honey wagon. She stepped in, enjoying the idea of having a few minutes to herself, and began fluffing her hair. She messed with it for several minutes before getting fed up.

"_What a horrible hair day!"_ She said aloud to herself. _"I should just cut it all off and go with a bob or something."_

She finished up in the bathroom and headed back to set, feeling revived.

Several minutes later, James called her to go over a couple of blocking notes. After he explained what he wanted her to do in the scene, she saw Troy standing there, looking all sexy, and waiting for her to start the scene. She had her eyes glued on him, forgetting about Nikki. As she made her way to Troy, she accidentally bumped into Brad, her boss.

"Oh, I'm so sorry Brad!" Gabriella exclaimed. "I've got to be more careful!"

"No problem, Gabriella!" Brad answered. "You ready for the scene?"

"I think so. I'm a little nervous, but I'm as ready as I'll ever be." She said as she ran her fingers through her long wavy curls.

"Don't worry…you'll be fine." Brad insisted. "Oh, and by the way, I think your hair looks great today. You should leave it long….a bob wouldn't be near as sexy…"

* * *

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